MANILA, Philippines — The deadline of contributions for February, March and April is extended until June 1, 2020, the Social Security System (SSS) said Monday.
SSS president Aurora Ignacio said members can pay for their contributions without penalties. This covers both regular and household workers.
“Nagbigay po tayo ng extension ng deadline ng payment ng contribution. Kung kayo po ay nagbabayad ng contribution ng January to March, naextend po natin iyon hanggang June,” Ignacio said in a public briefing.
(We gave an extension on the deadline for contribution payments. If you are paying your contribution from January to March, this was extended until June.)
“Kung magbabayad kayo hanggang June, wala po itong penalty,” she noted.
(If you will pay until June, there will be no penalty.)
Should the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon be extended, Ignacio said SSS would again adjust the deadline of payments.
“Kung ma-extend ulit ang quarantine, uurong tayo ng contribution later,” she said.
(If the quarantine will be extended, we will adjust the contribution to a later date.)
The strict quarantine measure is expected to be lifted at midnight of April 13, 2020. This aims to limit the public’s movements amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
Meanwhile, payments for salary, calamity, emergency and educational loans due in March and April can be paid until May, she said in a Laging Handa public briefing aired over state-run PTV 4.
Ignacio said the SSS is open to extending its deadlines for loan payments should the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine be extended beyond April 12.
“If the quarantine period is extended, we will add another month to further extend the deadline for loan payments,” she said.
Online filing system
Meanwhile, the SSS is also working on an online filing system where workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak can file claims for unemployment benefits.
“We are fast-trackingn the system so that by April, the online filing system will be available for those who lost their jobs as a result of the crisis,” Ignacio said.
The filing for unemployment benefit claims is presently done over the counter, but the SSS and its branches are running on a skeleton workforce due to the lockdown.
Ignacio said the SSS has yet to determine how many workers lost their jobs due to the lockdown.
Meanwhile, the SSS has released the April pension for its members and it will be available by the first week of April. With a report Julie M. Aurelio, PDI